St. Luke's story about two disciples and their encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Emmaus has to be one of the most heartwarming and hopeful accounts in all scripture. The two disciples, Cleopas and a companion, turned their backs on Jerusalem that monumental first day of the week and walked seven miles to Emmaus debriefing each other as they went along. They were downcast, disappointed, full of sorrow, and probably very confused. Even though some women in their group and a few of the disciples had visited the tomb and returned with stories about a missing body and a vision of angels "who announced that he was alive", no one had actually seen Jesus.
The hopeful part of the story is that Jesus sought them out. He joined them on their journey and he walked with them all the way to Emmaus. He interpreted scripture for them. And when they invited him to stay with them, he accepted their invitation and shared a meal with them. It was only after he blessed the bread and broke it that they recognized him. Then he disappeared. They returned to Jerusalem immediately to rejoin their community and share their good news with the other disciples.
There are many lessons for us in this story. The most important lesson is that Jesus is always with us. Jesus seeks us even when we try to run away. He is with us in good times and bad times. He is with us on our important, life-changing journeys and our everyday activities. We may not recognize him, but he is here. Jesus speaks to us through scripture and in prayer. Jesus is present when we gather as a congregation in worship, which is why we are called the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist both through the priest in the act of consecration and in the bread and wine we eat and drink. We believe that the consecrated host really becomes the Body of Christ and the blessed wine really becomes the Blood of Christ. The risen Christ is very real and present here in Peachtree City, Georgia. Having received Jesus through worship, word, and Eucharist it is our responsibility to carry Him out into the world we live in, sharing the good news.
God our Father,
our road in life is often tiresome
for it is the road of pilgrims.
Give us Jesus your Son
as our companion who journeys with us
and who warms our hearts with love and joy.
Let him keep breaking for us
the bread of himself that gives us courage.
Open our eyes to recognize him
in our downhearted and suffering brothers and sisters,
that they may see in us
something of our faith that our Lord is risen
and that he lives for ever and ever.
Amen.
